This is a very exciting time for Australia-USA relations, and a great time to be involved with AmCham.

. .
	First, of course, is the news that President Trump intends to nominate US Pacific Command Chief Admiral Harry Harris to be US Ambassador to Australia. According to the White House, Admiral Harris is "a highly decorated, combat proven naval officer with extensive knowledge, leadership and geo-political expertise in the Indo-Pacific region”. AmCham looks forward to introducing the new Ambassador to our members and discussing with him the issues most important to the business community – just as Chargé D'affaires a.i. James Carouso has so ably done while he has been leading the mission in the interim.
. .

Second, next week, President Trump and Prime Minister Turnbull will meet at the White House to discuss promoting economic growth, fighting terrorism, and expanding security and defence cooperation in the region. In addition, the most significant and senior Australian business delegation assembled will lead the effort to strengthen political and economic ties between the countries. They will discuss infrastructure, innovation, energy and trade with the 40 US state governors and five Australian premiers who will attend. Many of the corporate leaders participating are AmCham members, and we look forward to hearing their feedback upon their return.

. .

And third, this year marks 100 years of mateship between the US and Australia. On 4 July 1918, General Sir John Monash led American forces into battle in Hamel, France. It was the first time US troops fought offensively under the command of a non-American, and it marked the beginning of a century of defending democracy side-by-side in conflicts around the world. AmCham will be commemorating this anniversary with events around the country throughout the year.


In conjunction with all of these major events, AmCham continues to push ahead with its themes for the year: infrastructure, cyber security, the workforce of the future, and energy. We have missions, events, committees, and discussions on all of these topics – and more. I encourage your companies to engage in as many ways as possible with the Chamber – if you are unsure you are connected in the most useful and effective ways, please call your state General Manager and ask for advice. We would love to get you and your colleagues involved across several areas through various methods.

. .
AmCham has kicked off the year with some unique and stellar events. Last week, for example, I attended a talk with Samsung’s CIO Terry Halvorsen. When Halvorsen was the top IT official at the Pentagon, with a budget of US$40 billion, he pushed what he called “cooperatition” – urging companies to cooperate and compete to win DoD business. And as he was speaking, it struck me that this is very much the AmCham model: we come together to share ideas and cooperate on big themes, and then we work with our own companies to present competitive bids and strategies.
.. .

The next day, I was at lunch with industrialist Sanjeev Gupta, Chairman and CEO of GFG Alliance. The now Sydney-based Brit told the AmCham audience in Adelaide about the steel, mining, energy and port development projects he is undertaking here. And in a departure from his usual rule not to comment on politics, he urged action on corporate tax cuts to encourage growth and investment. And, finally, he delighted the South Australian crowd with his prediction that cars could still be produced locally despite – or rather because of - the demise of the local auto manufacturing industry. You can find a copy of his presentation here.

. .

And we have lots more headline speakers coming up this year: Moody's CRO Richard Cantor, Lockheed Martin ANZ CEO Vince Di Pietro, Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer, former CBA CEO and Future Fund Chairman David Murray, Hancock Prospecting Chairman Gina Rinehart, UPS CTO Scott Price, Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott, and the premiers of WA and QLD, to name just a few.
As we move forward, AmCham is poised to continue to provide its members with all of the information and access you need to compete in this ever-changing environment. I have enjoyed meeting so many members as I travel around the country, and I look forward to talking to more of you to hear what’s top-of-mind and where you think the next big trends are.

Thank you for your continued support,

April Palmerlee, Chief Executive Officer
American Chamber of Commerce in Australia
P 02 8031 9000 | E [email protected]